


Feel Real

by AnonymousSpacePrince



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Animal Abuse, Animal Death, Cats, Fluff, Getting Together, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-19 22:46:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9463880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymousSpacePrince/pseuds/AnonymousSpacePrince
Summary: Dex walks into the Haus and, subsequently, the living room right as a commercial break begins. Chowder's the first one to look at him, and his gasp causes the other three guys to turn and look. It's an odd scene.When Dex shows up to the Haus with a black eye and two kittens, questions are raised and admissions are made.





	1. Feel Real

**Author's Note:**

> The NurseyDex piece I posted the other day (which I honestly didn't think was too great) got such an overwhelming amount of love and attention that it both killed me and brought me back to life. A few people urged me to post more, so here's more!
> 
> The title is the same as that of a Deptford Goth song.

    It's late evening on a Tuesday; the last rays of sunshine are fading from the sky. Chowder, Nursey, Ransom, and Holster are watching TV in the living room, and Bitty's in the kitchen making dinner.  
  
    Dex walks into the Haus and, subsequently, the living room right as a commercial break begins. Chowder's the first one to look at him, and his gasp causes the other three guys to turn and look. It's an odd scene. Dex's lip is split, blood running down his chin, and there's a clearly bad bruise already forming under his right eye, and he's got two kittens in one arm.  
  
    Nursey leaps up and heads to him, Chowder close on his heels. Ransom and Holster just watch, speechless, from the couch. "What the hell happened, Dex?" Nursey asks, lifting Dex's chin to get a better look at his eye.  
  
    Dex pulls out of Nursey's grasp and says, "shitty story. Mind if I explain when every word doesn't hurt?" He points to his split lip for clarification.  
  
    "'Course. Come on, let's take you upstairs and clean you up before Bitty comes in here and makes a fuss."  
  
    "Can take care of myself," Dex argues dispassionately.  
  
    "I know, but we're friends, let me help."  
  
    After a second, Dex sighs and nods his approval, and Nursey responds with a small smile.  
  
    "Good. Let's let Chowder and the others keep an eye on the kittens?"  
  
    "Yeah."  
  
    Nursey carefully takes the kittens- one is a silver tabby and one is an orange tabby, both short-haired- from Dex and hands them to Chowder. Chowder whimpers excitedly and holds them delicately to his chest. The silver one mews at him.  
  
    Just as Bitty calls, "was that a cat? What is going on in there?" Nursey guides Dex towards the stairs.  
  
    In Bitty's bathroom (Lardo was showering in hers and Chowder's), Dex sits down on the toilet lid while Nursey digs the first aid kit out from under the sink. He also gets a washcloth, and runs it under the tap until it's warm. He kneels in front of Dex, who looks angry and a little sad, and starts to dab at the blood on his chin.  
  
    Dex pulls away and fixes Nursey with an annoyed look. "I can wipe the blood off my own damn lip," Dex says, his vowels slightly skewed from his efforts to not stretch his mouth too much.  
  
    "Dex, just lemme help you clean up. I know you don't _need_ my help, but that doesn't mean you can't accept it when it's offered."  
  
    Dex keeps his frustrated eyes trained on Nursey for a silent moment, then he deflates. "Yeah, okay, just don't get used to it."  
  
    "No promises," Nursey responds with a small smirk. He puts one hand on the side of Dex's face, with his thumb under his chin, and tilts Dex's head a little so he can wipe the blood away. He's extra careful when he gets up to where Dex's lip is split, using soft, gentle strokes to clean around the wound.  
  
    Dex makes a small pained noise and Nursey winces. "Sorry, being as gentle as I can here."  
  
    "S'okay."  
  
    Nursey finishes cleaning Dex's lip and then digs back into the first aid kit. He comes away with a small tube of antiseptic cream. "Can't put this on your lip because you don't wanna ingest it, but I'm gonna put a little on the split underneath."  
  
    Dex nods his understanding. Nursey uncaps the cream and squeezes a little bit out onto his finger. He gently dabs it on the part of the wound that extends just below Dex's lip. Dex hisses in pain again and Nursey gives him a sympathetic look. He knows from experience that it stings when it first goes on.  
  
    "It'll feel better after you give it a minute. Do you have anything else that's hurt?"  
  
    "Ribs are a little sore, but not too bad. My lip and my hands got the worst of it."  
  
    Nursey hadn't noticed anything wrong with his hands before then. He lifts the one that was sat palm-up on Dex's knee and turns it over. His knuckles are scraped to hell, a couple with entire chunks of skin missing. "Yikes, dude, what the hell?"  
  
    Dex shrugs. "Should see the other guy."  
  
    "I know your lip still hurts, but you've gotta explain this a little bit. Did you get jumped or something?"  
  
    "Or something," Dex tells him with a grimace. Dex starts to explain while Nursey begins cleaning his knuckles. "I was gonna go to Murder Stop 'N' Shop for snacks after my last class, but I caught some fuckin' prick in an alleyway..." Dex trails off, and Nursey looks up at him in concern. "It was awful, man." Dex's jaw visibly tightens and his eyes flash between anger and sadness like a flipbook.  
  
    "The kittens?" Nursey asks knowingly.  
  
    Dex nods curtly, a renewed look of disgust crossing his features. "There was a mom and four kittens. Would still be, if I'd gotten there sooner. I don't really wanna go into detail; it makes me feel sick. There was... a hammer involved, and work boots."  
  
    Nursey's _glad_  Dex doesn't go into detail; the picture his mind paints alone makes his stomach lurch.  
  
    Dex shudders. "It was the worst thing I've ever seen, Derek."  
  
    Nursey nods understandingly and goes back to cleaning Dex's knuckles. "It looks like you handled it the right way."  
  
    Dex laughs coldly. "I wanted to kill the guy. I went over and slammed him into the wall, threw the hammer fuck knows where. He got a couple punches in, got an elbow in my ribs at one point, but I was seeing red, man. I wanted to kill him. I didn't!" Dex quickly states upon Nursey's horrified look. "I didn't kill him, but I definitely broke his nose and I think I broke his cheekbone too. By the time I was done he was sobbing and screaming, so I called an ambulance, picked up the kittens that were still alive, and came here."  
  
    "Holy shit," Nursey says. That scene sounds brutal and horrifying, but Nursey's _pretty sure_ he falls a little bit in love with Dex right then and there.  
  
    "No place for abusers in the world."  
  
    "You're amazing, Dex." Nursey kind of wants to kick himself for how stupid it sounds, but it's true, so he doesn't.  
  
    Dex looks confused. "Uh, no, not really. I think most morally decent people would agree that animal abuse is fucking unacceptable."  
  
    "Yeah, but only a small fraction of those people would actually do anything to prevent it," Nursey responds. "Just take the compliment, man," he adds to break the tension.  
  
    Nursey finishes cleaning Dex's knuckles and then applies a little bit of antiseptic cream to each one. "Do you want me to wrap these?" He asks.  
  
    "Nah. I used to punch stuff a lot when I was younger. They'll be mostly healed by tomorrow."  
  
    "Okay, well then you're all good, but you need to put a bag of peas or something on your eye to keep it from swelling."  
  
    "Yes, Doctor Nurse," Dex says teasingly.  
  
    "Hah! An animal rights activist and a comedian, how _are_  you single?" Nursey chirps, and Dex rolls his eyes.  
  
    "Shut the fuck up, Nurse," Dex says with no real heat behind it. "Can we go back downstairs? I probably need to explain to the others. Oh, don't mention the other cats, I don't wanna see Chowder's heart break."  
  
    "Won't breathe a word," Nursey promises.  
  
    Dex pauses at the door to wait for Nursey to put the first aid kit up, but before he can leave, Nursey's hand is on his bicep.  
  
    "Seriously, Dex, I don't know how many other people would put someone in the hospital over non-human lives."  
  
    Dex shrugs, but gets a certain light in his eyes that usually accompanies a goal celebration-- when he feels appreciated, Nursey concludes. "Animals don't ever cause harm without reason. Only humans do that."  
  
    _Huh._  "You're not allowed to chirp me for being deep and poetic anymore."  
  
    The moment feels too serious for too many reasons, and Nursey briefly regrets the sarcastic tone he failed to conjure. Then Dex shakes his head and laughs and says, "like that's gonna stop me," and the moment relaxes.  
  
  
    It's much later- after Dex gave the gentle explanation of what happened to everyone else in the Haus, after they all ate dinner, after Chowder tired himself out playing with the kittens- that Dex mentions his encounter again.  
  
    Neither he nor Nursey had wanted to leave the kittens, but Dex knew damn well pets aren't allowed in dorm rooms, so they'd decided to camp out in the Haus living room. They'd set up two pallets of blankets on the floor (the green couch had gotten a new mysterious stain earlier that week, so neither of them wanted to sleep on it), but neither of them were sleeping yet.  
  
    Dex is sitting against the couch with the silver kitten in his lap, scratching behind her ears while she bats at a loose blanket thread. Nursey's sitting Indian-style on his pallet and laughing every time the orange kitten tries to climb his shirt. Dex looks over and smirks, unnoticed by Nursey.  
  
    He looks back at the silver kitten in his lap and his mind starts whirring. "Man, I just can't get it out of my head," Dex says softly. Something about the peace of nighttime makes him feel more comfortable being vulnerable. "You hear about it, but it's a totally different feeling when you actually see something like that happen." Dex watches the silver kitten catch the thread between her two little paws; he can feel her purring under his hand. Dex wonders vaguely if the kittens even have any idea what happened. To Dex's shock and mild horror, his vision gets warm and blurry with sudden unshed tears.  
  
    "Oh shit, hey," he hears, and then Nursey's moving over and sitting right next to him. He knows Nursey's looking at him all concerned, but Dex purposely avoids looking back. It's not like he's gonna break down crying or something, but he's really disappointed in the world and he can't believe a person would even have the heart to hurt something as tiny and sweet as the kitten in his lap. One tear falls, and Nursey's stare feels like a microscope lens, and Dex can't deal with it anymore.  
  
    "Don't even look at me right now," he says, half snarky and half serious.  
  
    Nursey catches the meaning behind the words, but instead of looking away and putting his attention on the orange kitten, he nudges Dex's shoulder with his own and says, "dude, if I had been in your situation, I probably would've cried at least three times by now."  
  
    "I'm not crying, I'm just allergic to fucking pieces of shit who hurt defenseless animals." Dex is already not crying, but his vision is still all blurry and one cheek is wet from the tear that fell, so he uses his unoccupied hand to scrub at his face until all traces of emotion are gone.  
  
    "Hey," Nursey says, sliding an arm around Dex's shoulders.  
  
    "What?" Dex asks. He again avoids looking at Nursey, this time because if he turned to do so, their faces would only be a few inches apart.  
  
    "You know you're allowed to show emotions other than anger, right?" It sounds a little like a chirp, but it doesn't feel like one. Nursey is looking at Dex. Dex knows because he can just barely feel Nursey's breath against his cheek, and it almost distracts him from the question.  
  
    "Wouldn't that be un-chill of me?" Dex responds, because he has no idea how to answer that seriously.  
  
    "Bro, are you implying you think your anger _is_  chill?"  
  
    Dex's automatic response is, "compared to some of my other emotions, yeah." It takes him .02 seconds to regret saying it, but Nursey doesn't even question it.  
  
    The orange kitten tries to climb Nursey's shirt again, and he peels her off with one hand and sets her back on his lap. The kitten hisses at him, but then settles for reaching over and pawing at her sister. Nursey snickers. "I'm calling this one Dex 2.0 from now on."  
  
    "Why?" Dex asks. He looks at Nursey, since Nursey isn't looking at him anymore.  
  
    "Because she's a ginger with a temper, obvi." Dex scoffs. Nursey turns to look at him again, and yeah, their faces are so close that it hurts Dex's eyes to focus on Nursey's face. "But she's still cute," Nursey adds, too seriously for it to be a chirp.  
  
    "Oh."  
  
    "Can I make this moment awkward?"  
  
    Dex thinks about saying 'didn't you already?' but Nursey's all too serious so he just nods a little and says, "yeah."  
  
    "I like you."  
  
    Dex hates (really likes) the way that makes his heart fluttery and he has to fight a grin. He's emotionally ill-equipped to say he likes Nursey too, so instead he says, "are you gonna kiss me?"  
  
    "I want to, but your lip."  
  
    Dex had almost forgotten about his injuries. He weighs his options for a second and then says, "I don't care about my lip; kiss me."  
  
    Nursey looks unsure for a second, but then he leans in the necessary few inches and presses a soft, lingering kiss to Dex's lips. It's so gentle that it barely even hurts Dex's lip, but it makes his heart beat fast like it does during a tense game. Dex only pulls away so he can kiss Nursey again, and then again.  
  
    His lip does actually start to hurt then, so he pulls back, but stays close. "That- yeah, I like that."  
  
    Nursey grins. "See? It's easy to express emotions."  
  
    "No it isn't," Dex argues. Nursey's grin falls some, and Dex decides he doesn't wanna be responsible for Nursey's looks of disappointment anymore. "But at least I have you to help me learn," Dex says, and kisses Nursey one more time even though it hurts his lip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus: Chowder was the first person in the Haus to wake up the next morning. He found Dex and Nursey asleep on their respective pallets with their arms stretched out across the floor, holding hands. They hadn't meant to fall asleep like that, it was just a dorky thing Nursey did after they'd settled in, but neither of them ended up letting go. Additionally, the orange kitten was curled up near Nursey's chest, and the silver one was sleeping on Dex's legs.
> 
> Chowder did a silent happy dance and took a picture on his phone. He waited until they woke up and asked if it was okay if he shared it to the group chat, and they thanked him for asking first and gave him permission because it was a goddamn cute picture. Everyone in the group chat lost their fucking minds.
> 
>  
> 
> I promise no one will punch anything in the next piece I post. I don't wanna be known as the person who always writes about Dex and Nursey punching shit.
> 
> I was originally going to end this at the bathroom scene with something like a "thanks for patching me up" / "thanks for saving lives" and then a cheek kiss, but I decided that this, and y'all, deserved better. I'm kinda lowkey invested in this plot now, so if anyone asks for a second part it'll more than likely happen.


	2. Now You've Got to Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nursey, Dex, and the Hausmates figure out what to do about the kittens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look! Part two! Everyone wanted this (including me), so I made it happen. I hope it does the original part justice.
> 
> Chapter title is a line from the same song, Feel Real by Deptford Goth.
> 
> P.S. I tried to post this yesterday but it was a cosmic _bitch_ , so I gave up until now.

   In the morning, after Chowder finds Nursey and Dex asleep and holding hands, after they wake up and let him show the group chat, after everyone loses their minds-  
  
_**Shitty:** NURSEY_  
  
_**Shitty:**  BRAH_  
  
_**Shitty:**  IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS?_  
  
_**Lardo:**  what is going on down there?_  
  
_**Chowder:**  this is already a great day!!_  
  
_**Shitty:**  I_  
  
_**Shitty:**  NEED_  
  
_**Shitty:** FUCKING_  
  
_**Shitty:**  ANSWERS_  
  
_**Jack:**  what's happening?_  
  
_**Bitty:** Honey, I think we might have some competition._  
  
_**Holster:**  FINE_  
  
_**Ransom:**  FINE_  
  
_**Ransom:**  JINX_  
  
_**Jack:**  oh, haha_  
  
_**Shitty:** D:<_  
  
_**Shitty:**  wait, are those kittens?_  
  
    - Bitty bakes a pie and starts talking with Dex about kitten logistics.  
  
    "You know, there are lots of no-kill shelters around here," Bitty starts.  
  
    "Huh?" Dex responds, giving him a blank look.  
  
    "I was researching. There are also foster homes, but sometimes those are actually worse-"  
  
    "I don't wanna put them in a foster home or a shelter," Dex says with absolute certainty. Nursey's watching Dex while Chowder looks back and forth between Dex and Bitty, and they're both silently trying to assess the situation.  
  
    "Oh, okay, are you just gonna try to find them a home on your own, or-"  
  
    "Bitty, I'm kind of attached to them. I saved them from... a bad fate. I don't wanna give them up at all."  
  
    "Oh!" Bitty says, finally understanding. "Okay, that makes sense. Well they're welcome to stay with me, since you can't keep them in your dorm room."  
  
    "Me too!" Chowder pipes up. "Wait! Are you and Nursey their dads?"  
  
    "Uh, sure, I guess so," Dex says. He and Nursey haven't made anything official, but it's pretty obvious to everyone that there's something going on.  
  
    "Can I be their godfather?" Chowder asks, barely containing his hopeful excitement.  
  
    "Yes," Dex says. "You can absolutely be their godfather. If Nursey and I die, you have to take care of them."  
  
    "Yay! Please don't die though."  
  
    "I haven't yet; that's gotta count for something," Nursey says.  
  
    "Considering you're a walking disaster, that counts for a lot," Dex chirps.  
  
    "Is this how you two flirt?" Holster asks, entering the kitchen. "By the way, I call the title of Vodka Aunt."  
  
    "He'd probably hit me if I tried to write poetry about him, so yes."  
  
    "Absolutely true," Dex says to Nursey, then responds to Holster's comment, "and you're not allowed anywhere near my cats when you're drunk. That goes for all of you."  
  
    "Speaking of drinking, we'll have to keep the cats somewhere safe during kegsters," Nursey points out.  
  
    "I could probably sneak them into my dorm, but then I'd either have to miss the party or leave them alone for hours," Dex thinks out loud. "And if someone heard them and reported me-"  
  
    "Don't worry Dex, they can stay in my room during kegsters," Chowder volunteers. "I'll keep everything locked up the whole time and you can party _and_  check in on them whenever you want"  
  
    "That would work. Thanks, Chowder."  
  
    "No problem!"  
  
    "I guess maybe I'll get an apartment off campus next year so-"  
  
    "Nah bro," Holster says, standing up from where he was rooting through the fridge.  
  
    "Holster, there's pie," Bitty informs him.  
  
    "Oh! Score!" Holster says. "Anyway, fuck an apartment, you and the cats have my dibs for next year."  
  
    "Seriously? Okay, _thanks_ , because I can't afford an apartment anyway."  
  
    "Are we talking dibs?" Ransom asks as he enters the kitchen. "Because if Dex has yours, Nursey's got mine."  
  
    "Oh sweet, thanks bro," Nursey says.  
  
    "You know what this means?" Holster asks.  
  
    "We have to go get pet supplies," Ransom answers.  
  
    "Exactly."  
  
    "Oh! We should go to that pet store that opened up a few months ago," Bitty suggests.  
  
    "Fuck yes!" Holster exclaims. "LARDOOOOO!" He shouts towards the ceiling.  
  
    "Chill, you're gonna scare the kittens," Dex tells him. Nursey and Bitty, along with everyone else in the room, turn to smirk at him, and he recoils in confusion. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"  
  
    Ransom says, "bro, you totally just told Holster to _chill_."  
  
    "Oh goddammit! You fucking infected me, Nurse."  
  
    "What's going on down here?" Lardo's voice enters the kitchen a second before she does. "Why was I summoned?"  
  
    "We're going to a pet store!" Holster announces.  
  
    "Oh, 'swawesome. Shouldn't someone stay here with the kittens, though?"  
  
    "I'll stay," Chowder offers.  
  
    "Really? Are you sure?" Nursey asks.  
  
    "Yeah. One time I got asked to leave a pet store because I kept crying over the dogs, so..."  
  
    "Oh my goodness, how old were you?" Bitty asks.  
  
    "Uh, fifteen."  
  
  
    Upon entering the pet store, everyone veers off in their own directions. Holster and Ransom beeline for a display of giant dog beds. Lardo goes in search of snakes. Dex and Nursey go to actually look for cat supplies. Bitty sighs and gives an employee an apologetic look for the hell he just unleashed on their store.  
  
    Before Dex even gets to the cat aisle, his phone pings with a text from Bitty in the group chat. _Y'all, have some sense. We are gonna need to come back here, so don't get us thrown out!_  
  
    A text comes in from Holster, saying, _rans and i are just laying in giant dog beds. we're being polite about it_.  
  
    Shitty texts, _what am I missing now? Fucking dog beds?_  
  
    Lardo texts a picture of herself with a ball python wrapped around her arm, with the caption, _suck it, shits_.  
  
    _How on Earth did you get your hands on a snake so fast, girl?_ Bitty texts.  
  
    _KEEP THAT THING AWAY FROM ME_ , comes from Ransom.  
  
    _but he likes you, rans, come meet him_ , Lardo responds.  
  
    _HELL NO_ , Ransom sends.  
  
    "What's going on?" Nursey asks from where he's looking at food dishes.  
  
    "Group chat," Dex explains.  
  
    Nursey comes over to lean over Dex's shoulder and look at his phone. He rests his hand on Dex's hip while he looks at the screen, and Dex fights a smile because it feels so damn couple-y and he _loves_ it.  
  
    "I didn't know Rans was afraid of snakes," Nursey says, laughing at all the fearful emojis Ransom has just sent to the chat.  
  
    "Me neither. I definitely would've pegged Lardo for someone who likes them though."  
  
    "Yeah, I'm kinda surprised she doesn't have a pet snake."  
  
    "Looks like she might soon."  
  
    "Wait, wouldn't a snake try to eat the kittens?"  
  
    "Uh, a big snake _could_ , but the snake Lardo's got is a ball python. By the time it was big enough to possibly eat a kitten, the kittens would already be too big to be eaten," Dex explains.  
  
    "Oh, okay. I didn't know you knew so much about snakes."  
  
    "My brother has a thing for reptiles. He taught me a lot, whether I wanted him to or not."  
  
    "Nerd," Nursey says. Dex is prepared to insult him back, but then Nursey pecks his cheek and Dex realises he meant it fondly. "Now, Holster just texted that he's gonna try to get on the top shelf of the display, so we better find what we need before that goes badly."  
  
    Dex would've been content to stand in the middle of the aisle with Nursey so close for a while longer, but they really do need to find the stuff they need and get out. "As long as  _you_  stay on the ground, we might be okay," Dex chirps.  
  
    "Oh, ha ha," Nursey says, but responds to Dex's grin in kind. "Hey, should we get one of these automatic hard food dispensers?"  
  
    "Uh." Dex walks over to look at what Nursey's looking at. It's just a plastic dish with a sort of tube that you fill with food so it never gets stale at the bottom. "Yeah, anything that optimises functionality without costing much is good. I can't really afford more than necess-"  
  
    A loud crash interrupts Dex, and he freezes, turning his worried look on Nursey to see it mirrored back. After a second, they hear Holster shout, "I'm okay!" and then Bitty yell back, "in that case: Adam Birkholtz, act like a civilized person!" Dex shakes his head and Nursey laughs.  
  
    "Anyway- what was I saying?"  
  
    "You were talking about cost, but don't worry about it. Just pick out whatever's best for the kittens and I'll pay for whatever you feel like you can't afford."  
  
    Dex narrows his eyes and tenses his shoulders. "Thanks," the word sounds harsher than it's supposed to, "but you're not buying anything for me."  
  
    "No, you're right, I'm not," Nursey calmly agrees. "I'm offering to buy things for the kittens, not for you."  
  
    "I'm the one who brought them home, okay? I'll handle it myself."  
  
    "Dex-"  
  
    "Seriously, I appreciate the offer, but they're my responsibility so-"  
  
    "Will!" Nursey raises his voice just enough to assure that he gets Dex's attention. Dex raises an eyebrow at him. " _You_  saved their lives," Nursey says, reaching out to squeeze Dex's shoulder. "You've already done more than enough. I know you'd rather help than be helped, but you're gonna have to get used to letting me help you sometimes, because I'm not gonna give up until you do."  
  
    "Nurse-"  
  
    "And besides, you said yourself that we're both their dads, so I've gotta pull my weight," Nursey adds, his soft smile turning into a grin.  
  
    The muscles in Dex's shoulder relax under Nursey's hand, and he returns the smile. "Okay, fine," Dex gives in. "You can pay for whatever I can't afford, but I'm still only sticking to the basics. I am not spending your money intentionally."  
  
    "Fair enough," Nursey agrees, because he's surprised that Dex agreed at all, he doesn't want to push it any more.  
  
    Nursey goes to turn back to look at cat stuff, but Dex stops him with a hand on his arm and softly says, "hey, thank you."  
  
    The softness of Nursey's responding smile matches Dex's voice. "No problem."  
  
    Dex pulls Nursey in for a soft, slow kiss that they both smile into. It lasts about five seconds before someone clears their throat. It turns out to just be Bitty, so Dex gives him a look instead of apologizing.  
  
    Bitty chuckles and says, "don't you glare at me, Mr. Poindexter, we're in a public place. Besides, I came to help y'all pick out stuff for the cats."  
  
    "Be honest, Bits, you just don't wanna associate with the others in case they get kicked out," Nursey responds with a lopsided smile.  
  
    "I would never! Although, if I'd known it's a PDA fest over here, I would've chosen Snake Girl."  
  
    "It was one little kiss!" Dex says. "Not like when I caught you and Jack making out in the kitchen."  
  
    Bitty blushes. "Okay, point made."  
  
  
    All told, the group returns to the Haus with everything one needs for cat ownership and then some. They got the food dispenser, a fancy automated water bowl with a fountain that Nursey insisted on buying, and a regular litter box (Dex wouldn't let Nursey buy the ridiculously expensive auto-cleaning one because he got the expensive water dish). They also got a bag of hard kitten food, a bag of litter, and a box of canned food, plus some toys and two collars in case the cats ever get out.  
  
    As soon as they get in the door, Chowder, who is holding the silver kitten while Dex 2.0 perches on his shoulder, greets them. "Hey guys! Did you have fun? Was the pet store cool? Were there dogs?"  
  
    "Holster fell off a display shelf," Lardo tells him.  
  
    "Oh gosh, are you okay, Holster?"  
  
    "It was kind of awesome. I was in a dog bed. It was like sledding, but without the snow or a hill."  
  
    "Well I almost had a heart attack," Ransom says. "You could've _died_ , Holtzy!"  
  
    "But I didn't, so, all good," Holster says.  
  
    "You two almost got us kicked out," Bitty admonishes them. "And Lardo chased Ransom around with a snake at one point," he adds, to Chowder.  
  
    "Yeah, you guys all need to chill," Dex says, and then, "fuck! Dammit Nursey, every time I kiss you, that ends up happening."  
  
    "Eh, it's a risk I'm willing to take," Nursey responds with a smirk, and then kisses Dex just for emphasis.  
  
    "Yeah, me too," Dex agrees, unable to keep the smile off his face.  
  
  
    Later that night, Nursey and Dex are laying on the pallets they've since pushed together. They're on their backs, shoulder to shoulder, fingers linked together between them. The silver kitten is curled up against Nursey's shoulder, and Dex 2.0 is asleep on his chest.  
  
    "You know, the kittens need real names," Nursey points out.  
  
    "So help me God, Nurse, if you suggest some classic French poet's name I will sue you for full custody," Dex warns.  
  
    Nursey laughs out loud. "We're not even divorced, babe." Dex grins at the pet name. "Besides, I'm actually not into naming animals after famous people."  
  
    "Colour me surprised. What did you have in mind, then?"  
  
    "I don't know. Willow, Lilac, something like that, maybe?"  
  
    Dex turns his head to look at Nursey. "I actually really like both of those."  
  
    "Really?"  
  
    "Yeah. I like Lilac for the silver one."  
  
    "That's what I was thinking. What about Dex 2.0?"  
  
    "I doubt you'll ever stop with that nickname, but Willow could be her proper name," Dex suggests.  
  
    "Yeah? Okay, I like that."  
  
    "Me too."  
  
    "You hear that, Dex 2.0? You have a real name now," Nursey says, gently playing with Willow's paw. She wakes up, growls, pulls her paw out of his grasp, and then goes back to sleep. Nursey just laughs and says, "yeah, she's definitely cat-you."  
  
    "Nah, not quite," Dex corrects. "I like it when you hold my hand."  
  
    After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Dex says, "did you see everyones' faces when you kissed me earlier?" His voice is tinted with amusement.  
  
    "Yeah," Nursey says with a laugh. "Everyone but Bitty looked surprised, like they half expected the hand holding to be a platonic bro thing."  
  
    "Well, for Ransom and Holster it is," Dex points out.  
  
    "Yeah, but nothing about them is normal."  
  
    "Isn't that the damn truth," Dex agrees. "Can't really blame them for being confused though, huh? It's not like we've talked about this much, let alone explained anything to them."  
  
    "You're right. We should talk." Nursey can't turn his head without disrupting Lilac, but he tries his best to look at Dex without moving much.  
  
    "Yeah," Dex agrees.  
  
    "I like you, you know that, and I _think_  you like me too," Nursey says.  
  
    "I do," Dex confirms. "I like you a lot."  
  
    Nursey smiles. "Good. So are we, like, dating? Is that what you want?"  
  
    Dex turns on his side and props his head up with his arm so he can look at Nursey properly. "Is that what _you_  want? Because honestly, I don't wanna go through the whole together-but-not-exclusive thing with you."  
  
    Nursey's smile is disarmingly bright. "Are you saying you want to be exclusive?"  
  
    "Yeah," Dex says, unable to not smile back despite the nervous electricity crackling under his skin. "I want to be your boyfriend."  
  
    "Good, because I want to be your boyfriend too."  
  
    "Then, will you be? My boyfriend?"  
  
    "Yes, absolutely," Nursey says.  
  
    "Yeah?" Dex is grinning so much he worries his lip might split back open, but he couldn't stop if he wanted.  
  
    "Yes!" Nursey's smiling just as much.  
  
    Dex leans in, careful to keep his balance, and kisses Nursey with the softest sort of passion a person is capable of. He pulls away sooner than he'd like, because his lip is still sore, but he can't resist pressing one extra kiss to Nursey's lips before lying back down.  
  
    "Hey, will you really hit me if I write poetry about you?" Nursey asks, tone light and borderline chirpy.  
  
    "Nah, I'll secretly love it."  
  
    "Good, because I was gonna do it regardless."  
  
    Dex laughs and finds Nursey's hand back without looking. "Do you think we should tell the team now?"  
  
    "I'm down if you are."  
  
    "I am," Dex says. He reaches over with his left hand to find his phone on the floor. After unlocking it, he balances the bottom against his chest so he can work it with one hand. Dex opens the group chat and sends, _Nursey and I are official_.  
  
     Nursey takes the phone and adds three grinning emojis and a sparkly heart, with ' _-Nursey_ ' underneath, and sends that too.  
  
    The congratulations and celebrations start rolling in immediately. Most notably, Shitty sends, _CON-FUCKING-GRATS!! I'M COMING OVER TOMORROW TO HUG YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARDS!!!_  
  
    Dex laughs, and Nursey asks, "you don't think he's kidding, do you?"  
  
    "I know he's serious, that's why it's so funny," Dex says.  
  
    They laugh until Willow growls at Nursey for not being totally still, and then Dex laughs harder while Nursey tries not to.  
  
    "Yeah, Willow will forever be Dex 2.0," Nursey says decisively.  
  
    "Oh my _god_ , Nursey, you named her Dex _and_ Will," Dex says when realisation hits.  
  
    That sends Nursey into a cackling fit that causes Willow to climb off of him and settle on Dex instead. "I didn't even realise that until you pointed it out," Nursey says through his laughter.  
  
    "You're the actual worst," Dex mutters, but his tone makes it clear he doesn't mean it.  
  
    Once Nursey stops laughing, he smiles and says, "I guess it just happened because you're always on my mind."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the deal: there's a chance I'll add more parts to this, maybe so, maybe not. That being said, I've been known, in the past, to start something and then give up on it and leave it hanging. To avoid doing that here, I'm gonna give every chapter a peaceful ending in case it turns out to be the last.
> 
> Keep in mind, there might not even be another part, I'm just trying to cover all possible bases here.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this! If you do want a third part, let me know! The encouragement I received after the first part was instrumental in making this part happen.


End file.
